Entwined Legacy
by TheBloodWolf
Summary: When the son of Kyuubi No Kitsune and an InuYokai hime is left an orphan and taken in by the Mate of Inu No Taisho, the young half-breed learns of a world outside of the saftey of Yokai culture growing up with a hanyou pup. To meet his intended within the elder half-brother however leads to a road full of both summer scent and cold eyes.
1. Chapter 1

Dark grey clouds swirled over head as a woman with long platinum blonde hair stumbled through the woods, her skin was pale as blood trickled from her lips. On her face two graceful stripes on each cheek and a matching purple crescent moon on her forehead, her clawed hands gripped a shaking child close to her. Her golden eyes weakly smiled down at the young boy in her arms gripping her deep red kimono, his three year old hands balled into fists as he whimpered. The woman cooed soothingly to her child as she stopped for a moment and looked behind her, her sensitive nose picked up the scent of blood that made her eyes well up with tears. She had been told to flee from the territory she called home by her Mate as he tried to protect her and their child. A crash of thunder made her pup whimper and curl closer to her, his red tipped platinum blonde hair hiding his face. Brushing the hair from his face allowed her to see her pup's tanned skin, graced with three long yet elegant black stripes on his cheek.

With a whimpering sigh the pup looked up at her with his bright blue eyes, the slits were wide enough to make his eyes look human, but the purple crescent on his forehead made her smile. The pup was nearly the spitting image of his sire, save for the crescent moon and his long platinum hair. She buried her nose in his hair and sighed before pulling back, he had a warm scent like the first summer evening. When a second crash of thunder echoed in the sky the pup hide his face into her chest once more as she began to run. Her elven ears had picked up the sound of people nearing her location; though her pup looked to be three years old he was born 6 years ago and was old enough to run and speak if he wanted to. He had been born during the time of Shinobi, years before the full return of Yokai. When the DaiYokai Clans were rebuilt and flourishing the way of Shinobi soon gave way to the Taijiya once again, it began in Konohagakure then spread to the other hidden villages.

"Natsukaoru." She murmured to her pup.

Her young pup looked up at her with tear filled blue eyes that made her own begin to water, she know that her pup knew the fate of his sire. She hugged him close to her before he was set down on the ground, Natsukaoru whimpered and reached up for her. He didn't know where they were but he had a bad feeling that his mother was going to leave him. The Inu Yokai looked down at her pup with a sad frown, with one final hug she turned and ran in the direction they had been running from. Natsukaoru gasped covering his mouth with his hands at the sight of her back; her back had been full of needles and cuts. With a whimper he shook his head and ran the other way, his teary eyes made his vision blurry before hear a loud roar. Looking behind him he could see a giant Inu, her platinum blond fur bristled out as her tail was raised in a defensive posture. He remembered that his sire's animal form was the last thing that he had seen, a larger Yokai than his mother. His sire was a large nine tailed Kitsune, a rich nearly red brown with black markings around his ruby red eyes. In his human form he had tanned skin with three thin black markings on each cheek and long rich red hair, much like Natsukaoru his black stripes ran down his whole body. Hearing another roar made the pup run faster than he never had before, his little legs carrying him as if he was a grown man.

The sky above him darkened as lightening cracked over-head making him cry out in fear, he never liked thunderstorms and being without his parents made his fear even worse. Running faster than he ever had, his feet brought Natsukaoru to the outskirts of an unnamed village. He could tell by the scent that it was far from Konohagakure, there was no scent of DaiYokai blood in the area. It must have been such a strange sight to see a young boy in wearing bloodied formal clothes walking from the woods; he didn't like how the children nearby gave him angry looks. Natsukaoru ran his clawed fingers through his hair then shook it out, out of the corner of his eye he could see an older boy walk up to him. The boy looked chubby as his gut could be seen trying to push up his shirt, his arms and legs seemed to be a little too big for the rest of his clothes. The young Yokai let his eyes close half-way as if he wasn't paying attention to the chubby ningen, the sight of red behind the children made him raise a brow. He tilted his head to the side as he watch a boy with silver hair struggle to get up as the wind blew his way, on it was the scent of a Hanyou. The scent in the air made the boy in red Natsukaoru's current interest as the chubby boy closed in, his heavy breathing made him hard to ignore as he stood in Natsukaoru's line of sight. The boy crossed his arms and glared trying to catch his breath, the rise and fall of his chest rapid as he stood still.

"Who are you?" The chubby boy finally asked.

Natsukaoru turned to the boy with disinterest. He had never really cared much for young ningen; they were bratty and had little manners.

"This one's name is not for you to know." Natsukaoru stated in a cold voice.

The other kids stood up in unusual interest as he spoke, the chubby boy huffed and walked to him slowly.

"It is if you want to enter our village." The boy smirked, "We don't like outsiders or freaks, but there's one freak that lives here."

With a chuckled the kids moved away from the now sniffling boy in red. His hair was long and silver as two ears sat perched on the top of his head, they looked almost like cat ears. One of the younger boys kicked the sniffling child as he whimpered, his gold eyes widened in pain as he coughed on the ground. The display was not pleasing to Natsukaoru as he let his eyes close; the scent of the Hanyou was indeed coming from the boy in the red kimono. With a sudden opening of his eyes Natsukaoru had used his superior speed to run to the child, he stopped in front of the boy to see his ears lay flat against his head. The other children yelped and stepped back from the displeased look on the young Yokai's face as his blue eyes narrowed, he raised his hand as a thin red light lazily shimmered around his claws. The children only blinked before Natsukaoru flicked his hand, the light traveled from his hand over the cheek of the chubby boy making him cry out as the thin red line soon turned into an angry burn. Falling back the boy cried as he rolled around on the ground, the others ran to help him up, as they did Natsukaoru took his time to turn around and look over the Hanyou. Even though he was curled up to where his face could be seen the pup reeked of fear, kneeling down to make himself look the same size the DaiYokai pup carefully ran a hand through the Hanyou pup's hair making him yelp and sit up. The action was cute making Natsukaoru faintly smile before standing up; the Hanyou looked up at him before slowly getting to his own feet.

"Are you here to pick on me too?" The Hanyou snapped before he flinched.

Natsukaoru's hand had curiously reached up to rub the soft ears on top of the Hanyou's head, the pup blushed under the rubbing before he got mad and tried to move the hand.

"Hey! Hey! Don't touch those." The boy blushed and pouted, "Why aren't you hitting me?" He asked with a sad frown.

Natsukaoru withdrew his hand having sated his curiosity then tilted his head to the left, curious as to why the Hanyou was asking why he had not been hit by the DaiYokai pup. Looking over the Hanyou told Natsukaoru that the villagers did not enjoy having a Hanyou among them, an Inu Hanyou no less. But being half Inu Yokai himself made Natsukaoru want to protect the pup, being the strongest DaiYokai within the village awoke the dominance in the young pup. Naturally dominate even as a pup Natsukaoru would be beta to the strongest DaiYokai of a territory but seek to dominate everything under him, often being servants of his sire and mother.

"This Natsukaoru does not seek to harm another Inu." He said to the Hanyou, making those cat-like ears perk up.

"Your name is Natsukaoru?" The Hanyou asked before smiling, "I'm Inuyasha, are you a Hanyou too?"

Natsukaoru thought for a moment before he nodded but then shook his head; Inuyasha frowned tilting his head to the side. His big golden eyes were a very beautiful part of the Hanyou; Natsukaoru would enjoy his stay in village as long as the Hanyou pup was around.

"My mother and sire were of two different races." Natsukaoru said with a faintly warm tone, "Kaa-Sama was an Inu DaiYokai, but Oto-Sama was a Kitsune." He said as Inuyasha slowly nodded before speaking again.

"You're parents weren't both Inu or Kitsune?" Inuyasha asked; Natsukaoru nodded.

Inuyasha's ears flicked in thought, he wasn't sure if he should ask such a personal question of his newfound friend. As Inuyasha remained lost in thought Natsukaoru took the chance to get a better look at the Hanyou. His skin was a natural soft tan that brought out his snowy white hair and golden eyes, his ears made him look cute for a Hanyou. His mother and sire would often tell him of how some Hanyou can be disgusting to look at, but Inuyasha was beautiful to him. Ever since he was three Natsukaoru knew that he preferred male Yokai to females, he found them to be petty and hard to please. Males were more understanding; they didn't require to be spoiled rotten but were lavish in their own ways. Females wanted things that sparkled and could be shown off, many males preferred things that felt comfortable and could be silently enjoyed. Inuyasha had finally took notice of the DaiYokai's staring and blushed before shaking the pup in front of him, when Natsukaoru gave his head a faint shake before he blushed faintly.

"Are you okay? You've been quiet." Inuyasha said, Natsukaoru nodded before he looked around.

The village was small but it would be a safe place for the pups, Natsukaoru had no doubt that Inuyasha's mother was somewhere within the village. Inuyasha let his ear flick before he turned around and started to run somewhere, Natsukaoru ran after him. He was not about to let the little Hanyou run free with humans around who seemed to hate him. The Hanyou was shocked to see Natsukaoru following him in the village, the villagers seemed to be scared of the young pup as his hair flowed behind him. The wet ground made a slapping sound under their feet as the pups ran, the thunder and lightning didn't seem so scary the Natsukaoru now that he had something to focus on. The rain was soft compared to the thunder, the lightning seemed make Natsukaoru's hair and eyes glow as he chased Inuyasha. The Hanyou stopped at a large hut, the looked finer than the ones around it making the DaiYokai pup curious as to who lived there. The door to the hut opened to show a beautiful ningen with long black hair and brown eyes, her skin was pale yet she was dressed in a royal kimono. She looked at Inuyasha with a smile before he turned to see that his friend had followed him home, he blushed looking back to the woman.

"Kaa-san, can he come in?" He asked the woman who offered Natsukaoru a faint smile.

"Of course Inuyasha, wipe your feet before coming in please, I've just finished cleaning." The woman said softly.

Natsukaoru was very quiet about entering Inuyasha's home; his parents had raised him to be humble and to listen well to his host. After wiping his feet he looked around the hut. The woman seemed to be very pleased that her son had managed to at least make a friend, though she had never seen the young boy before. His clothes looked covered in blood in some places and torn in others, but the one question that she couldn't answer was where had the boy come from. Inuyasha happily showed Natsukaoru around his home before he noticed that his friend had on a rather stoic look. Pouting Inuyasha waved his hand in front of the other pup's face before it was grabbed in a soft yet firm hold.

"This Natsukaoru is still listening, Inuyasha." The stoic pup said; Inuyasha blushed.

Inuyasha's mother watched the two with a soft smile; it had been the first time that she had seen her young pup so happy. She had hoped that the strange pup would be able to get her son to open more. The future was unknown yet, there was so much that could happen yet she remained hopeful.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Natsukaoru found his way to Inuyasha's home village. The ningen residents had not been comfortable around the DaiYokai, but they did not express their displeasure for the Hanyou as openly. Inuyasha was able to roam his own village without fear of being beaten, though Natsukaoru was not amused by human play. The ever stoic pup was a mystery to the Hanyou. No matter how much Inuyasha wanted to play with the ningen, Natsukaoru preferred to keep him within eyesight. It was as though the Hanyou was in need of protection, little did he know that it was really Natsukaoru showing dominance over the young Inu. Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi was not as ill-treated as her pup. Through patience and listening into ningen conversations, the young DaiYokai learned that Izayoi had been mated to Inu No Taisho. It was seen as a taboo to the village, Izayoi had been promised to another ningen male but fell in love with the DaiYokai Lord and bore Inuyasha. Still being of a higher rank than the villagers, the ningen saw it fitting to spare her but not the Hanyou pup. Inuyasha was safely playing with a ball as Natsukaoru leaned against a tree watching the pup, from the corner of his eye he saw a man walking from the tavern.

"That bitch has taken in another Yokai?" The man growled

Another walking by the man nodded and grunted in disappointment.

"From what I've heard it's another pup, wandered into the village from the woods."

Natsukaoru resumed his watch of Inuyasha as he listened to the men ramble about Izayoi, the sake proving to loosen their tongues. The two men obviously did not enjoy having another Yokai within their village; however Natsukaoru had no real reason to leave. The third night of staying within Inuyasha's hut Izayoi made the young DaiYokai promise to look after Inuyasha. It was an odd request but the villagers were always skulking in the shadows and plotting. Should anything happen to the woman it would be up to Natsukaoru to raise Inuyasha, or at least find someone who could. There was no denying that the pup was stubborn when he wanted to be but he was still human, if only half.

"Natsukaoru, play with me!" Inuyasha called from the tree he had been chasing the ball around.

The DaiYokai pup looked to the Hanyou with a raised brow, the silver haired pup pouted and walked to Natsukaoru. Inuyasha learned rather quickly that his friend did not like to speak loudly, only when the Hanyou was in danger would the DaiYokai raise his voice. With his ears laid back Inuyasha licked Natsukaoru's nose and whined, the action would normally get him the result he wanted. Without a word the rose blonde vanished and reappeared by the ball the Hanyou had been chasing. With a grin Inuyasha got Natsukaoru to hit the ball between the two, it seemed to be a foolish game but if it made Inuyasha smile than he would endure it without complaint. To be quite clear Natsukaoru often found Inuyasha to be rather feminine; when he was mad he would put his hands on his hips and glare. The action alone made him seem off, most young men would put up their fists and want to fight. With Inuyasha it was the opposite if his harsh words didn't get the offender to move along. Natsukaoru had learned that not everyone treated Izayoi with respect or enjoyed the fact that out of all the hands offered to her she had chosen a Yokai to marry and have a child with; it was all a rather short stick for young Inuyasha. The pup could barely get anyone to listen or even play with him without being under their torment, once in a great while a young man could be seen watching the silver haired pup from beyond the woods. Their aura nearly oozed out in malice and hate, as if they had been forced to do what they were doing, luckily they never showed their face but their scent was ice blood iced over. A rather cold feeling always swept over Natsukaoru whenever the stranger was watching the two, Izayoi would caution the rose-haired pup to mind himself when he growled to the woods. There was always something in Izayoi that reminded Natsukaoru of his own mother, however with a new moon fast upon the Hanyou; Inuyasha was less sensitive to the world around him as he Yokai blood seemed to become weaker.

'_Could he be affected by the loss of the moon?_' Natsukaoru questioned in his mind as he saw Inuyasha lay down by the ball.

"Natsu…" Inuyasha whispered, too tired to say his adoptive brother's full name, "Will you walk in the woods with me tonight?" The pup shyly asked.

Natsukaoru tilted his head to the side before he walked to the pup and sat down by him, tenderly running a clawed hand through the silver locks. Golden eyes looked back into pools of deep blue as the Hanyou waited for an answer. A soft breeze blew making the DaiYokai face the direction the wind as coming from. The scent of icy blood filled his nose before he nodded, he knew that Inuyasha was not always keen on when the new moon would take place but he was. He could always feel it in his very being and the idea of ningen Inuyasha in the woods alone did not sit well with the pup. Inuyasha smiled to himself as he closed his eyes for a moment, he did not want to let his brother see that he was scared of the scent in the wind. It was not a pleasant smell to him and always gave him nightmares about a large white dog that would chase him down and eat him. Inuyasha did not know why the dog seemed to hate him nor did he even recognize it, his mother would tell him that the dog was cruel but very close to him. It bothered the Hanyou to think that such a violent and malevolent thing was close to him, at rare moments he would catch a glimpse of a man watching him. Cold amber eyes and silver hair like his, but skin as pale as the moon. Sometimes Natsukaoru would growl into the woods and the man would go away, other times the man would show his own fangs and growl back before leaving.

"Do you know the scary man?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes opening half-way.

Natsukaoru tilted his head.

"This Natsukaoru knows only the scent, not the man." The blue eyed pup replied; Inuyasha's ear flattened against his head.

"Kaa-San says there's a big scary Inu close to me: it smells like the man in the woods." Inuyasha said sadly, "Did you know any Inu?" The shy Hanyou asked.

The DaiYokai chuckled softly; it was a rare thing for the pup to do but it made Inuyasha tilted his head and frown.

"What's so funny Nii-Sama?" Inuyasha asked, his ears perking up as if his brother knew a secret.

"The Inu _is_ the man in the woods." Natsukaoru said as he pointed to himself. "As full blooded Yokai we have an animal form that we can take if we are in great danger or are in battle." He explained. "It is the embodiment of our Yokai blood, some are in a form half human and half animal while others can take a full animal form."

Inuyasha whined softly and laid his ears back, being a Hanyou meant that he would never have an animal form. But to know that the Inu from his nightmares and the man from the woods where the same made him even more scared of the man. Natsukaoru closed his eyes half-way sensing his brother's fear. With a silent sigh he looked up at the clouds moving through the sky, it seemed as if they were being gently pushed to a place beyond their knowledge by the wind. They had little fear of what may happen to them but they traveled on through the ever changing color of the sky. Inuyasha looked up at his brother and licked his jaw softly before nuzzling into the DaiYokai next to him; it was nice to finally have someone besides his mother who did not push him away. The man in the woods might have been scary but his brother could be scary too, more so when the villagers were cruel towards him. When his brother would get mad his fangs and claws would grow, his eyes turned a violent red with blue around them. His hair would bristle out and he would appear to grow two tails. The look alone would scare those who were bullying Inuyasha away; when they were gone Natsukaoru would turn back to normal as if nothing happened.

"Natsu-San… Am I below you?" Inuyasha's small voice whispered, the pup was afraid of the answer but couldn't stop the question from being asked.

Natsukaoru closed his eyes and rested his head on Inuyasha's.

"In the natural order… Hai." Natsukaoru said slowly. "Hanyou are half-breeds bound to be weakened by their human blood, but through our bond as brothers you are not below me." The DaiYokai offered the Hanyou a rare smile.

Inuyasha's ear perked up with a soft smile. It had been the first time he had seen his brother smile, though he had hoped it would not be the last. Natsukaoru's smile was as warm as the summer sun and could make Inuyasha smile just as easily. Deciding to tell Izayoi where they would be, the boys had started to run back to the house only to find it ablaze. Inuyasha's eyes widened at the sight before he fell to his knees. Natsukaoru looked around to find that no one was around anymore, as if the home was set fire and then forgotten. In a flash Natsukaoru had to hold Inuyasha back from the fire as he tried to reach the dying breaths of his mother. With a heavy heart the two pups watched as the sun had slowly set behind the burning house, everything Inuyasha had ever known was taken away in that one act. His home and his mother were gone, leaving him an orphan along with Natsukaoru. The DaiYokai did not know how to comfort the young pup and lowered his eyes before he lead Inuyasha to the woods, away from the villagers with murder in his eyes. Inuyasha could not feel a thing; not his brother's hand on his back or the branches that tugs at his hair and clothes.

"Okaa-Sama." Inuyasha whimpered pathetically.

Natsukaoru let out a soft sigh and stopped to hold his brother; the Hanyou could no longer hold in his emotions and fell apart in the arm of the full blooded pup. With all his strength Natsukaoru resisted against the tears that glittered in his eyes, their color a deep purple, lost within a feeling of sorrow and anger. With night fast approaching Natsukaoru and Inuyasha carefully wandered through the woods searching for a cave to call shelter for the night. Though Natsukaoru was strong Inuyasha still feared the man who was in the woods, his scent was everywhere as if he had owned the very land the two walked on. Glancing up at the night sky brought dread to the Hanyou pup, the moon was nowhere in sight, even then he could feel his body change. His senses dulled as his eyes lost their glow, his claws turning to blunt human nails. His hair darkened to an inky black as did his eyes, he felt like a scared and lost child now, clinging to Natsukaoru whom had stopped. Inuyasha feared what the DaiYokai would think of him and hid his face from sight, fearing that his protector would leave him like everyone else had done. To his shock a soft hand ran through his hair, it felt comforting as he looked up he blushed softly. Looking back at him was not his rose-blonde brother with deep blue eyes, but a feminine version with silver hair and bright violet eyes. Inuyasha tilted his head as he looked at the now female DaiYokai whom lowered her gaze to the ground.

"It would seem that the loss of the moon affects us both, ne Inuyasha?" The female said; her voice a melody in the night.

Inuyasha was at a loss for words, but had slowly gained a smile on his human face. For once he was not an outcast, Natsukaoru could still look at him with a smile and that was more than enough for him as they finally found a large tree with a hole in it to take shelter under. Curling around each other the two huddled close to each other; Inuyasha closed his eyes as Natsukaoru remained ever watchful. Her eyes darting from side to side as a scent hit her nose, her eyes narrowed as she caught the glimpse of a young man with silvery hair. Though he looked to be 18 Natsukaoru knew better and growled holding the human Inuyasha close as the man began to walk towards their hiding place. Inuyasha looked up to see the man walking their way and hid his face in Natsukaoru's chest, the DaiYokai wrapped her arms around the scared boy and growled louder as golden eyes glared down at her. The man was now close enough to touch the two before he crouched down with stern look before his eyes slightly widened at the scent of summer from Natsukaoru, in turn she had caught the chilled scent of winter from the man whose glare had lessened before he spoke.

"This Sesshomaru is not a threat to pups that cannot even defend themselves."


	3. Chapter 3

Sesshomaru looked down at the two young children before him with a faint glare, Natsukaoru had refused to let go of the raven haired boy in her arms making it hard to catch the scent of the seemingly ningen child. The buy looked up at the Tai Yokai in fear, it was not entirely unusual for a ningen to show such fear of the young Inu but Sesshomaru took it merely being a natural fear of a predator. Inuyasha didn't know what to do with the object of his deepest fear before him, claiming to be of no harm, to Inuyasha it was a trap. Natsukaoru looked up at Sesshomaru with her head tilted to the side, her violet eyes bright and alert. With a faint growl she scooted away, Sesshomaru did not take it as an offense until she snapped at his reaching hand and bared her fangs. Golden eyes narrowed before he lowered himself down to their level and the scent of summer and his father flooded his nose, he recoiled with a faint growl before he tilted his head, once again reaching for the pups. Natsukaoru knew that she could not keep the older Yokai at bay with just a growl and a glare, raising her hand closest to the hand she let a red whip like light strike out in warning.

"Do not test this Sesshomaru pup." Sesshomaru growled grabbing the young ningen by the scruff of his neck.

Inuyasha cried out being yanked from Natsukaoru, he curled his body while keeping his head low to avoid Sesshomaru's gaze. The DaiYokai of the Western lands glared over his younger half-brother with disgust, he didn't want to accept that the weak form before him was capable of carrying the same blood as his father. Natsukaoru growled and let her hair flare out as if it was fur; Sesshomaru glanced to the girl as his mokomoko flared out over his right shoulder in response. The mokomoko had gained a strange reaction from the young pup, instead of submitting like lower ranking Yokai, Natsukaoru actually stared at the large furry thing. It did not take Sesshomaru long to smell fresh salt as tears began to form in the eyes of the young girl; Sesshomaru's eye twitched slightly as the girl inched out of her hiding place and sat down in front of him. The mokomoko flattened and moved around the young girl, Sesshomaru had forgotten about Inuyasha as Natsukaoru hugged the mass of fur close to her.

"Okaa-San…" She whimpered into the mokomoko before burying her face into it.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened feeling the warm tears against his mokomoko as he dropped Inuyasha who gave a yelp, the sound redirected Sesshomaru's attention to the Hanyou making his mokomoko recoil back around his shoulder. Natsukaoru sniffled for a moment before drying her eyes and running to Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was once again faced with glaring violet eyes, but the glittering tears made him more unnerved than threatened. The Inu DaiYokai did not like anything that opposed him, nor did he like anything he could not dominate. The pup of summer's scent was beginning to rouse both his anger and his curiosity beyond his liking, he had hoped that Inuyasha wasn't attached to the young pup but it would have been too easy for him. Inuyasha looked up at the man and stood up dusting himself off, he couldn't help but notice how much the man looked like him before a thought had hit him.

"Ne, are you my aniki?" Inuyasha asked making Sesshomaru shutter violently.

Sesshomaru glared down at the Hanyou before him, the certainty that he had the wrong child was now thrown out of his mind. A bright green whip of light shimmered around his left hand violently, his lips drew back showing his fangs. Inuyasha backed up as if he had done something wrong, Sesshomaru was ready to strike and to end it as he stalked towards his younger brother with one purpose. Natsukaoru could feel the killing intent in the air; it grew with each step Sesshomaru took towards Inuyasha before she ran up to him and held out her hands in a silent plea for him to stop. Sesshomaru couldn't help but let a dark chuckle escape his throat; he raised his hand up to strike the pup before her hands raised higher. Tears fell from her eyes making it look as though she wanted to be picked up instead of stopping the DaiYokai from striking.

"Onigai…" Natsukaoru murmured, Sesshomaru stopped all movement and froze.

'_What is this child asking of this Sesshomaru?_' The DaiYokai thought as his hand slowly lowered.

Natsukaoru remained standing with her arms raised; her tears feel freely as Inuyasha remained distant. Sesshomaru glared to Inuyasha before a soft whine filled the air, with a sigh Sesshomaru looked down at the girl before him. Violet eyes met gold before Sesshomaru's shoulders fell and he knelt down in front of the pup letting his mokomoko wrap around the girl and pull her close. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel jealous as Sesshomaru rose and seemed to cradle Natsukaoru as she sniffled for a few minutes and looked up at Sesshomaru. The DaiYokai's expression was passive but his eyes were slightly narrowed, he did not like having to comfort pups but he had no choice in the matter. When Natsukaoru had stopped her whimpers Sesshomaru set her down, without looking at Inuyasha he turned and began to walk away.

"Follow this Sesshomaru to camp, little pups." He said.

Natsukaoru and Inuyasha nodded before running after the older Inu, Sesshomaru kept a firm hand on his mokomoko to keep it in place, it would wriggle in the direction of Natsukaoru and Sesshomaru did not like it. It was rare when an Inu's mokomoko opened up to another, it was a sign to most, one with few meanings. In younger Inu's the meaning was hard to learn, not knowing was something that Sesshomaru did not take lightly, an unknown meaning was taken as a threat before all else. To feel threatened but a pup half his age was foolish but such caution kept many Yokai alive in the Western lands, with a glance behind him to see the pups at his heels Sesshomaru returned his gaze to the front. Within an hour the trio reached the camp, the pups stopped at the sight of a two-headed dragon that tilted their heads to the young pups and returned to its grazing. Inuyasha hid behind Natsukaoru who looked at it with a small smile, the dragon grunted feeling the pup's eyes on it and looked up before letting out a low purr and slowly walked towards the two only to be stopped by a Kappa. The small creature startled the two making Inuyasha cling to Natsukaoru, the Kappa turned to the pups before sputtering and waving a staff with two head at the two.

"And what are you two staring at?!" He squawked at the two.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru growled sharply, "Stop screeching." The DaiYokai snarled.

The Kappa nodded with a gulp before turning his back on the two, Inuyasha puffed out his chest and made a face at the Kappa's back before Natsukaoru tilted her head. She moved silently behind the Kappa before she sniffled at the back of his head making Jaken swing around hitting her with his staff by mistake, Natsukaoru whined before rubbing her cheek with the back of her hand and looking at the Kappa as he gulped. Natsukaoru frowned and put her hands on her hips before she sighed and left her arms fall, Jaken narrowed his eyes before he titled his head to side and pointed a finger at the pup.

"Have I seen you before, hm?" Jaken asked walking up to Natsukaoru and squatting down to look at her markings.

Natsukaoru leaned back and blushed faintly, Jaken spied her crescent moon before he yelped and ran to Sesshomaru. The Kappa ran around the legs of the Inu before Sesshomaru put his foot firmly down on Jaken's back and growled. Jaken flailed for a moment longer before he wept into the ground and shook, he looked at Natsukaoru before he buried his face into the ground and cried more.

"Kyuubi-San is going to kill me." Jaken whined, Sesshomaru lifted his foot from the Kappa and glared.

"And why would the Kyuubi No Kitsune do _you_ harm?" Sesshomaru glared darkly.

Jaken couldn't help but gulp and point to Natsukaoru who was rubbing the fresh bruise on her cheek, Inuyasha licked her cheek and frowned. Sesshomaru looked at the pups and growled back down to Jaken stepping on his head making the Kappa yelp in pain, Sesshomaru put more pressure on Jaken's head before he flailed more and made sounds of distress. Natsukaoru looked over at the two before she looked down and rubbed her black stripes on her cheek still hidden in the darkness. Inuyasha walked Natsukaoru to the fire to look at the mark on her cheek making Sesshomaru stop torturing Jaken to look at the young pup he had cradled close to him. Her black stripes and purple crescent moon were not common; her eyes nervously glanced to the Kappa and Inu making Sesshomaru walk to the fire, his eyes narrowed before he reached out and grabbed Natsukaoru by the scruff of her neck. Whether he meant to or not Sesshomaru's claws dug into her skin drawing a small amount of blood and making her wince, the scent of her blood made Sesshomaru's eyes widen a fraction before they returned to their passive expression. Natsukaoru struggled to keep her eyes on the ground before she looked into the gold eyes daring hers' to remain locked in his own. Within her eyes Sesshomaru could see the mixture of Inu and Kitsune blood swimming within her violet irises, her name fell from his lips like a forgotten memory.

"Natsukaoru…" Sesshomaru murmured.

The pup looked up at him shyly, her body wiggling slightly wanting to be set down. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed before he set Natsukaoru down, Inuyasha wanted to see if she was okay but the aura from Sesshomaru demanded the Hanyou keep away from him. Natsukaoru shifted nervously in place as Sesshomaru crossed his arms over his chest, his cold expression demanded answers as to why Natsukaoru was so far from Konohagakure and in his lands. There were no reports of anything being wrong in the Eastern lands, at least not to the knowledge of Sesshomaru or the other Lords. Kyuubi No Kitsune and his mate Inu No Natsu always kept a firm grip on their kingdom; any threat was wiped off the face of the earth before anything was heard by the other DaiYokai. Something was wrong, there had to be something wrong for their only pup to be in the wild on her own.

"This Sesshomaru demands to know where your Sire and his mate are." Sesshomaru growled, he knew better than to treat Natsukaoru as just a female, he had seen her as both genders during earlier visits.

Natsukaoru shifted before she looked up at him sadly, she started from the beginning with the Uchiha Clan's findings of old Taijiya scrolls. Soon after the Nara and Aburame Clans began to train with the Uchiha Clan in the old Taijiya arts, a young Kitsune demon strayed too close to the village and became an example of what Taijiya arts could do when mixed with the Shinobi's abilities. The scrolls were handed out throughout the village to suit each Clan's strengths, Yokai of all ranks were being hunted down and slaughtered, the Aburame's insects and the Uchiha's Shargingan were being retrained to find Yokai hiding in their more human forms while the Nara Clan's Shadow Spells became strong enough to take down a young Ryuu Yokai as it passed through. It was only a matter of time before they found Kyuubi and his family, the attack was swift and without warning. Inu No Natsu had taken Natsukaoru and fled to the woods, the final roar of the Kyuubi had compelled the Inu to return to her mate's side. Sesshomaru listened with a passive expression, Natsukaoru was nearly in tears by this time, her small fists balling up and shaking as she told him of how she came to be in the care of Inuysha's mother. When she reached the end of her story she was looking up at him like a lost pup would to their Sire, scared and looking for comfort.

"This Sesshomaru sees, the Taijiya are returning, even more dangerous than before." Sesshomaru said before he walked away from the pups and sat down by the fire.

As the hollow outline of the moon hung low in the sky Inuyasha was too tired to fear his brother and crawled next to the fire as Natsukaoru remained in the darkness. Jaken was sleeping next to the two headed dragon as Sesshomaru remained where he was, his eyes locked onto the dancing flames. Natsukaoru looked around before she rubbed her eyes and slowly walked to a space between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, the mokomoko wriggled before curling around Sesshomaru. The Inu DaiYokai couldn't help but glare into the flame before looking at the pups beside him, Inuyasha had gotten himself curled up against Natsukaoru as the little DaiYokai face Sesshomaru. Her hair was slowly regaining its rose blonde glow as her features returned to that of a male, Inuyasha's dark hair was slowly fading into its usual snow white as his fangs and claws regrew. Sesshomaru watched the changes with a keen eye, watching his Outoto change made him growl while Natsukaoru opened a deep blue eye and yawned before sitting up. Sesshomaru slightly tilted his head watching the young male, while it was a well known fact that the young Lord of the West was disgusted by Hanyou he had no category for the young DaiYokai looking up at the sky with an unreadable expression.

'_How can one be both a half-breed yet a DaiYokai?' _Sesshomaru asked himself as he too looked up at the heavens.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been 100 years since the pups had been cared for by Sesshomaru in the woods near Inuyasha's home village, the two pups now looked like a couple of pre-teens. Inuyasha's Fire Rat cloak had grown with him, much to Nastukaoru's surprise; the young DaiYokai was now wearing a fiery red kimono with white trim and a golden obi. They had been living in the Western lands for their own protection, as well as a shared will of the late Inu No Taisho and Kyuubi No Kitsune. Sesshomaru would not be presented with the demand of his late father and the late Lord of the Eastern lands until Natsukaoru had reached the age of 300, watching from the balcony of his room the Inu DaiYokai watched the two as they roamed the gardens. Inuyasha had proven to be a rough and tumble Inu youth, not even the occasional wasp was safe from his claws, Sesshomaru couldn't hold back the growl from his throat watching his younger half brother. Natsukaoru on the other hand was admiring the vast ocean of tulips, his deep blue eyes just as passive as his expression leaving the Inu Lord to question what the calm DaiYokai was thinking.

"Ne, Natsukaoru," Inuyasha said looking over the DaiYokai's shoulder, "Do you miss the village?" Inuyasha asked letting his ears fall back.

Natsukaoru looked up at the sky to ponder his answer; there wasn't a lot for the DaiYokai to miss about the village.

"This Natsukaoru did not know enough to miss such a place." The young Yokai said, turning to make Inuyasha look at him.

Inuyasha backed away before he looked down at the ground, he could not deny that the answer wasn't expected, but he did not think it would be so cold to hear. Natsukaoru didn't grow up in the village; it was merely a point of passing in the young DaiYokai's life, unlike Inuyasha. The village had held so many memories for the Hanyou even if most of them were of the ways ningen could cruel to something they did not understand. A soft hand tipped the Hanyou's face up making gold meet a calm blue before Natsukaoru ran his tongue over Inuyasha's forehead, much like a comforting older brother. Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at the gesture even though Nastukaoru's answer to his question made him feel uneasy, the young half-breed couldn't help but wonder if there was anything about the village that the DaiYokai did miss. Sensing his younger brother's distress, Natsukaoru nuzzled his cheek against the Hanyou's giving a faint purr to try and relax his silver haired brother. Sesshomaru was still watching; he could hear the faint purr coming from the DaiYokai below. Golden eyes narrowed watching as Inuyasha hugged Natsukaoru, there was a twinge of jealousy festering somewhere in the Inu Yokai at the sight of affection being shown between the two below him. Though Sesshomaru was known to be cold and uninterested in most forms of affection, the way Natsukaoru was comforting the Hanyou was almost no different than how Sesshomaru's father would comfort him when he was a pup.

'_Such thoughts are unbecoming of this Sesshomaru_.' The DaiYokai thought turning away from the scene in the garden.

Sesshomaru walked from the balcony and out of his room, turning down the hall and opened the door to a large library. The library had been a collection of old and new books, handed down from Inu Yokai born over a millennium ago to his late Sire. Everything from blood lines to lore had been recorded and kept in the Western lands. With a sigh Sesshomaru ran a hand over his mokomoko and glanced over a long row of books he had recently found 90 years ago, 10 years after taking in his half brother and Natsukaoru. The book was on lore of Hanyou and DaiYokai of mixed breeds, one he thought would be useful for dealing with the two when they were in their teens and experiencing their first heat cycles. One of the pages was marked by a long strand of silver silk; it was on Yokai of mixed breeds within the same creed. Natsukaoru was not a very common sight, a Hanyou born of a Kitsune and an Inu of pure bloods, a half-breed yet a full blooded Yokai. Sesshomaru opened the book and leaned against the wall, he had found sitting uncomfortable when it was merely casual reading. A paragraph caught Sesshomaru's eyes when it came to the unique hybrid Yokai and their breeding patterns, with narrowing eyes Sesshomaru found that he could not turn away.

The book was theorizing that full blooded hybrids were compelled to mate only with those sharing the same breed as their parents, more commonly following the blood of his or her Sire over the mother. With a frown Sesshomaru read on; wanting to know of those whose gender changed during a new moon, his lip curling up to find that there was no information on such a phenomena. Shutting the book with a snap Sesshomaru put the book back and walked out of the library, the mokomoko flared out and writhing with annoyance as servants rushed by him in a hurry. A low growl rumbled from Sesshomaru's throat as he walked past his room and headed down a flight of stairs that lead to the outside no far from the gardens where Inuyasha was laying under a sakura tree, his back against the tree as his hair softly blew in the wind with his kimono. Sesshomaru glared but let it fade catching Natsukaoru's scent not too far from the tree, the hybrid was watching over the Hanyou, Sesshomaru was sure of it but wasn't going to openly assume before walking towards his half brother. When Sesshomaru was a few feet from Inuyasha a voice called to him from near the roses,

"Good afternoon Sesshomaru-Sama." Natsukaoru said walking up to the Lord with his hands in his sleeves.

The Inu didn't say a word but merely nodded, the hybrid looked exotic and regal in the colors that Sesshomaru had seen the Kyuubi wear on occasions when his kingdom was at peace. Natsukaoru sat on his knees a few feet in front of the sleeping Inuyasha, his hands resting in his lap. Sakura petals fell from the tree, floating upon the gentle breeze only adding the feminine sight before Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's mokomoko stopped its thrashing and flicked from side to side as Natsukaoru looked to Inuyasha then to the older Inu before him; there was a thoughtful expression in the hybrids eyes as they looked into the cold golden ones. There was a small tension in the air before Natsukaoru spoke softly; his voice was concerned yet passive.

"Does Inuyasha have a guardian of sorts?" The hybrid asked making Sesshomaru tilt his head, why would the hybrid ask of the Hanyou with such concern.

Sesshomaru was confused.

"Why would you ask that of this Sesshomaru?" The Inu Yokai said with a soft growl.

The hybrid's eyes regained their passive expression; if the growl was meant to offend the hybrid Sesshomaru's attempt had fallen on deaf ears.

"The Hanyou has a dangerous ambition, one this Natsukaoru can understand." The hybrid said looking the Inu dead in the eyes. "Inuyasha is searching for a way to rid himself of his human blood."

The mere mention of Inuyasha's human blood made Sesshomaru's lip curl up slightly; Natsukaoru remained calm as his brow furrowed slightly. Sesshomaru did not wish to talk about his half brother and his human blood, turning to walk away the Inu stopped at the next thing the hybrid said with certainty.

"The Hanyou's human blood is why you hate him." The moment the words escaped the hybrid's mouth Sesshomaru was upon the young DaiYokai, a strong hand around his throat.

The two glared at each other before Sesshomaru felt his grip tighten before it relaxed against his will, the Inu's eyes faintly widened watching his mokomoko move between them. The interference of his own mokomoko made Sesshomaru growl loudly, the snarl making Inuyasha groan before he shifted in place and rubbed his eyes with his hands rolling over to avoid the rays of the sun. Natsukaoru looked beyond the mokomoko at Sesshomaru who was growing angry with the hybrid; Sesshomaru was nearly 500 years old; 300 years older than the Yokai under him. A question burned in Sesshomaru's throat before it escaped him in a harsh whisper.

"What is the Hanyou to you?" Sesshomaru snarled, "This Sesshomaru cannot grasp why you care so much for him."

Natsukaoru looked up at the older Yokai, his blue eyes dark with concern for not his own safety but for that of the Hanyou Sesshomaru had tried to ignore. The hybrid looked to the sleeping Hanyou and then to the older Yokai above him, his voice was calm yet firm with purpose.

"Without the guidance of a DaiYokai the Hanyou will destroy himself." Natsukaoru responded, his eyes passive.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened a fraction before he slowly rose, the young hybrid was taught well for one so young, even if his parents had been murdered years ago. The remaining elders of his father's council kept up with teaching the young DaiYokai what he would need to know, even on new moons he was taught both the ways of a Lord and Lady. Inu Yokai were more suited for battle but Kitsune were sharp of mind and keen on finding ways to help if they could, having both traits would make the young hybrid a great Lord of the Eastern lands. Sesshomaru took a moment and regained his composure before getting back to his feet; the hybrid sat up and carefully dusted off his kimono, his face in a soft frown before he looked back to Inuyasha for a moment. Sesshomaru watched before he rubbed his temple in thought, the hybrid was 25 years older than his half brother but Natsukaoru would have to bee 300 years of age before he could be the guardian of another.

"Guide the Hanyou if you wish, when you are of 300 years and reclaim your kingdom, this Sesshomaru will appoint you its guardian." Sesshomaru said coldly, his voice harsher than he had wanted it to be.

Natsukaoru nodded softly before he walked to the Hanyou and rubbed the soft puppy ear.

"One day Lord Sesshomaru, you will be able to call this pup by his name." Natsukaoru said, just loud enough for the Inu Lord to hear.

Sesshomaru gave a low growl and slowly walked off as the Kappa named Jaken walked up to the hybrid and the Hanyou, fighting back a sneer as Inuyasha woke and rubbed his eyes softly. Jaken bowed to Natsukaoru and merely nodded to Inuyasha, the Hanyou yawned as his ears flicked softly as sakura petals brushed them. Jaken frowned as Inuyasha yawned loudly, not bothering to cover his mouth, sending Jaken into a short rant.

"You filthy half-breed when will you learn not to yawn showing your fangs," The Kappa yelled stomping his feet. "Not even Lord Natsukaoru yawns showing his—!" Inuyasha growled punching the Kappa on the top of its head.

"Will you shut up, you're so damn loud." Inuyasha growled as Jaken rubbed his head and pouted to the hybrid.

Jaken got on his knees and whimpered.

"Oh my little Lord, why do you insist on keeping this thing safe?" Jaken whined, expecting to be hit but instead he felt a soft hand on his head.

Looking up Jaken saw blue eyes looking down at him with amusement and a faint smile as the hand softly massaged the bump, the Kappa couldn't help but blush, Natsukaoru often did such things on new moons nights after Sesshomaru or Inuyasha had hit him. Even after 100 years the Kappa wasn't used to the kind gestures that the hybrid directed at him. Jaken felt himself relax before Natsukaoru gave a very faint chuckle looking at Jaken before he looked to Inuyasha,

"Because not all that glitters is gold and not all that is flawed worthless." The young hybrid said as he rose, Inuyasha quickly rose as well.

Jaken leaned against his staff in thought; the Kappa looked up at the hybrid before he nodded. The small Kappa was an odd sight in the Inu palace; some of the servants kicked him on accident because they couldn't see him unless they looked down. Natsukaoru had been the first person in kneel down to look at him other than Sesshomaru, but Natsukaoru would refrain from striking him if the Kappa got on the hybrid's nerves. With a nod in return the two young boys had walked out of the gardens, Jaken not too far behind to take them to their evening lessons; Inuyasha was still struggling with his mannerism as Natsukaoru was going over the history of the Western lands. Inuyasha frowned and hung his head in frustration, the Hanyou didn't enjoy being told how to act by a bunch of old men who sneered at him and tried to make him act as if he was a lower class than they were. Natsukaoru was slightly interested in the history lessons but was preoccupied but other thoughts; he missed the Eastern lands where he was born. Sesshomaru had told Natsukaoru that when he was 250 the Inu Lord would help him reclaim his kingdom in return for following along with what the two late Lords of the East and West had in store for the two. Natsukaoru had agreed, whatever was going on was the reason the hybrid was going over the history of the Inu breed. There was a fleeting thought in the back of hybrid's mind that make him gave the setting sun a very soft, unnoticed smile.


	5. Chapter 5

A bright red flash ran through the forests near the palace of the West; nearing 175 years old, a young Hanyou skid to a stop when he caught the scent of summer in the snow covered field ahead of him. A Yokai 200 years of age was slowly making his way to the Hanyou, in his arms was a large basket of winter strawberries. The teenage Hanyou grinned and ran up to hybrid, and plucked a small berry from the basket before popping the fruit into his mouth. The DaiYokai didn't bat an eye at the action; he was used to his younger brother sneaking small treats. As the palace came into view two new scents hit Inuyasha making him stop, Natsukaoru walked ahead before he too stopped, there were two older Yokai standing near the path leading to the gardens. Natsukaoru looked to Inuyasha before he tilted his head towards the elderly Yokai as if telling Inuyasha to follow him, Inuyasha's ears laid back before he followed his older brother. The first Yokai that Natsukaoru could see was an elderly Tanuki, his fur nearly silver as once vibrant purple marking appeared to be lavender. Softened blue eyes looked from Inuyasha to Natsukaoru as the Tanuki folded his arms into the sleeve of his royal purple haori, a dark grey ringed tail hung limp as the two grew near. The second Yokai was a Hebi, a few decades younger than the Tanuki and taller by a foot. The Hebi's age was marked by long silver spines hanging down to his waist and a soft grey tint to his jade scales, the Yokai was dressed in a blue hakuma with black leggings as he leaned on a cane for support. The Hebi bowed his head to the young Yokai and beckoned with a soft hiss,

"Ne, this old Daiaki and Naoki wish to have a word, have you the time for a walk?" The Hebi hissed with a gentle smile.

Inuyasha was resistant until a faint yet firm growl could be heard from Natsukaoru; the hybrid was firm with making sure the young Hanyou was respectful in front of elder Yokai and even Sesshomaru when he could. The action was followed by Natsukaoru letting the shy Hanyou take a few more sweet winter strawberries; the dominance and submissive relationship did not go unnoticed by the elders. The older Yokai looked on with faint smiles as Natsukaoru stopped short and bowed his head, the basket raised higher than his head before the two DaiYokai in silent offering. Daiaki had politely refused as Naoki's ears flicked before the Tanuki murred and grabbed a small handful to plop them in his mouth from time to time, Inuyasha had faintly bowed with his hands in his haori sleeves making the Hebi smile. Daiaki smiled and allowed the young Yokai to lead the walk as Naoki silently made small mental notes of reactions and even smaller things that didn't quite seem to matter to most; Inuyasha was quite merely out of being nervous. After a while Daiaki revealed that the two elders were a part of Sesshomaru's main council, set in place by the late Inu No Taisho, to guide the young Lord and to keep Inuyasha safe. They had expressed a small amount of sympathy for the death of Natsukaoru's parents; both late Lords had often met through meetings within council to conduct trade routs from East to West and to also ensure both kingdoms were safe. The council had been cautious of the Kyuubi before they had met his mate, Inu No Natsu, she had been what allowed Kyuubi to remain calm throughout the more stressful times when smaller village nobles sought to use trade routs through the Eastern and Western lands. The short stories of their Sires kept the young ones engaged and asking questions, Naoki was frowning at Inuyasha's lack of Yokai mannerism; instead of referring to himself in the third person as was custom of many Lords and Ladies the Hanyou was using ningen mannerism. Daiaki noticed the lack of mannerism as well and paused before he looked to Inuyasha, his golden eyes looking back into Inuyasha's making the Hanyou sweat slightly,

"This Daiaki has noticed your lack of proper mannerism, young Inuyasha." He hissed faintly, "Has no one been teaching you?"

Inuyasha frowned before his eyes looked down at the ground,

"Iie, the sensei I have kept telling me that a Hanyou has no place learning the mannerism of full-blooded Yokai, so I quit asking."

Daiaki looked to Naoki who was frowning, his ears flicked to the back before the Tanuki spoke,

"Hanyou or not, you are a son of Inu no Taisho." Naoki said; his voice gruff and deep. "This Naoki will see to it that you learn proper mannerism." The Tanuki said making Inuyasha faintly smile.

The walk had turned out to be more pleasant than Inuyasha had originally thought; Daiaki and Naoki were a little more protective of him than Sesshomaru was. Natsukaoru had stayed behind to talk to the elders about something but Inuyasha was too excited about seeing something out of the corner of his eye that he politely excused himself before running after whatever it was that caught is eye. Inuyasha felt a strange sensation tug at him to go north, his eye brows furrowed as he continued to run after the thing that was now darting from side to side as it ran; there was something about it that made him want to follow it. He was certain that he would've followed it to where it ever it was going if it where not for Natsukaoru's scent closing in behind him. Sheepishly Inuyasha turned around and ran back to Natsukaoru who was still holding onto the basket of berries, with a very faint smile Natsukaoru and Inuyasha walked back to the castle where Sesshomaru was waiting, his cold eyes fixed on Inuyasha before they slightly narrowed. Inuyasha shifted behind the hybrid, which looked up at Sesshomaru and tilted his head, the DaiYokai was mentally taking note of how Natsukaoru protected the Hanyou. A part of the Inu Yokai was barely jealous of how devoted the hybrid was to his half-brother, but did not like how Natsukaoru was using Yokai ways against him. It was clear that the hybrid knew something that the Inu DaiYokai did not, something that had to do with the silver haired Hanyou behind him like a dog with its tail between its legs. To Sesshomaru it was submission that Inuyasha refused to show him, but willingly gave to the hybrid. Trying to get the Hanyou to submit to Sesshomaru was like trying to put out a fire with oil, the young half-blood was verbally volatile and openly lashed out regardless of who was around. Sesshomaru had hoped it would lessen with age but the lack of being around as the Hanyou was growing had built a gap between the two, more so than the mere fact that Sesshomaru did not like Hanyou or ningen.

"This Sesshomaru was told by counsel to arrange an escort for Natsukaoru to the Eastern kingdom." Sesshomaru said in a cold tone. "The council there requires proof that the Kyuubi's heir is alive."

Inuyasha looked at Natsukaoru than back to Sesshomaru with a faint glare. To the Hanyou it was a way to get Natsukaoru to leave; to Inuyasha's shock the hybrid merely nodded his head. It had been the first time that Natsukaoru did not object to Sesshomaru about leaving, before Inuyasha could even speak Natsukaoru turned to the Hanyou. The look on the young hybrid's face was a serious expression; his deep blue eyes were set in cold determination. Sesshomaru couldn't help but utter the words that would crush his younger half-brother; they were words that would forever put a gap between the two.

"After the new moon, take that Hanyou trash with the escort; this Sesshomaru no longer wishes to house it."

Those words made Inuyasha shiver; he had been told by the older Yokai that he was little more than their late Lord's bastard child, yet to hear his own brother call him trash was more than the young Hanyou could take. Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down his spine at the look that he was given from the hybrid; a look of disgust and disdain for the DaiYokai's words the moment that he uttered those words tore into him like a bite from his father. Inuyasha wilted at his brother's words and couldn't take the shattering blow, turning on his heels Inuyasha ran; he ran to escape a possibly crueler fate in the Eastern lands than with his brother. Natsukaoru found that with a heavy heart that his body would not move, for the first time there was something telling him to let the young Hanyou go. With a glare he turned to Sesshomaru who was once again caught in the sight of those angered blue eyes, Natsukaoru showed his disgust by showing his fangs and walking past the DaiYokai briskly so their bodies barely brushed. The hybrid didn't stop walking as a thin trail of green went by his line of sight, Sesshomaru's growl could be heard as Natsukaoru entered the castle and was lead to his room. Looking the sky Sesshomaru knew that the new moon was going to be that night. Inuyasha was going to have to survive or find a village to take care of him, knowing the West any village would shelter him think they would gain Sesshomaru's favor for protecting the Hanyou.

'_Dead or alive, it taints this Sesshomaru's home no longer._' Sesshomaru thought before heading back into his palace.

A few of the elder Yokai in the Inu DaiYokai's council shook their heads as he walked past them; they did little to hide their disappointment in the young Lord. Sesshomaru ignored them with a cold glance before he heard the sound of someone packing things. Following the sound the Inu found himself at the door to the hybrid's chamber, it had been one that the council set up to suite his tastes. Inside the room was the male Natsukaoru stewing in his disgust and anger at the Lord Sesshomaru, his blue eyes surrounded in red as his pupils narrowed. Sesshomaru knew nothing of his half brother to pass such a cruel judgment on the Hanyou like he did; the Inu knew nothing of Inuyasha's suffering at the hands of ningen and Yokai alike. The only that Natsukaoru knew was that Inuyasha had to remain safe, with enough luck he would find the Hanyou before he reached the Eastern lands. There the hybrid could teach Inuyasha of the proper Yokai ways without anyone looking down on him for being a half breed. With a determined nod Natsukaoru finished his packing and set his things by the door for a servant to pack them into a caravan. The scent of wintered fur made Natsukaoru stop and growl at the door.

"What reason does the Lord Sesshomaru have to be in front of this door?" Natsukaoru growled lowly, his temper still flaring.

The other side of the door was quiet before Sesshomaru spoke.

"Even without the Hanyou, you plan to depart so soon?" Sesshomaru asked; his tone was as if the Inu was in deep thought.

Natsukaoru folded his arms over his chest; even in a kimono the hybrid had a regal intimidation to him.

"The Eastern council will receive this one _and_ the Hanyou before the moon rises at the month's end." Natsukaoru said.

The hybrid knew that the new moon marked the end of the first week, which gave the escort three weeks to travel to the Eastern lands, hopefully there would be no issues along the way. Natsukaoru had a feeling Inuyasha would've run north, when ever Inuyasha was in danger he would run north or east but never west; almost as if his instincts told him to avoid the west whenever he could. Natsukaoru could sense a strange curiosity from the Inu that made the hybrid reach for the doors to slide them open a crack; the Inu Yokai was merely standing there with a passive expression. The two did nothing for what seemed like an eternity before Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly and spoke with a cold tone,

"Why do you have so much faith in a mistake? The Hanyou is worthless; tainted by ningen blood." Sesshomaru said in a low growl.

Natsukaoru opened the door wider with an equally cold expression on his face, each mention of Inuyasha being worthless did nothing but damage the hybrid's pride of being a Hanyou yet also a DaiYokai. The cold glare on the hybrid's face warned Sesshomaru that he was treading fragile ground, for a moment the Inu seemed to express a hint of shame before returning to his cold exterior.

"This Sesshomaru has offended you…" His voice trailed off as though he was making a statement. "Though the hybrid prince is a DaiYokai, he is also Hanyou by bearing mixed blood."

"To continue to insult Inuyasha as merely being a Hanyou is a strike against this one's pride and his Sire's choice to mate an Inu." Natsukaoru snarled before he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Do not bear your grudge against the Hanyou because you Sire died to save his own." Natsukaoru said softly, his anger wearing him down as he opened his eyes part way, "The Lord Sesshomaru has nothing to protect…so how could he be able to harbor affection to the one who needs it." Natsukaoru said his voice cold but soft as if meant to guilt Sesshomaru.

As the day wore down to the night, Natsukaoru and the escort left the castle; the caravan heading east while a silver haired Natsukaoru ran slightly north with bright violet eyes to find her Hanyou and take him to a place where he could grow into his own without the scorn of others. Sesshomaru watched from his balcony with cold eyes, the very last thing Natsukaoru had said to him still rang through his mind as if it refused to leave his conscience. He had nothing to protect nor did he have a reason to show affection to the Hanyou, however his ill-treatment of the younger Hanyou could bare a bad relationship with the Eastern lands should Natsukaoru hold a grudge against the West. The fear lingered in the back of Sesshomaru's mind as he looked to the moonless sky, somehow the scorned face of his father came to mind, reminding Sesshomaru further of his own selfish and cruel actions against the Hanyou. Still the cold and gentle words of the hybrid echoed into the night as the silver haired Yokai vanished into the darkness; silently Sesshomaru wished that hybrid would take his parting words with him.


End file.
